Here Comes A Thought
by Sukiya62
Summary: Ladybug isn't acting like her usual self, seeming to be caught up in her thoughts, and it's affecting her fighting. {LadyNoir/MariChat} Here comes a thought that might alarm me/What someone said and how it harmed me/Something I did that failed to be charming/Things that I said are suddenly swarming


**Hey guys! Here's a one-shot I hope you'll enjoy based loosely on the song Here Comes A Thought from Steven Universe! The song really means a lot to me and has helped me through quite a bit.**

 **I have one warning on this fic, and that is that there is a mention of self-harm. The self-harm itself is pretty "minor/tame", but I'm still slappin' that warning on here anyway, just in case. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! Also, be sure to check out my profile for my Tumblr! I recently set up a Ko-Fi and I'm planning on doing commissions sometime soon!**

 **(and one quick, final note, I kind of pictured the akuma looking similar to Sardonyx for some reason? but instead of extra arms, it's ribbons so if that helps with picturing her then yea :3 anywho, hope you enjoy!)**

* * *

"Ladybug, _focus!_ "

Ladybug snapped out of her thoughts and looked over at Chat. They were fighting an akuma. She needed to help her partner. _Her mind wouldn't stop racing._ She hung back for a moment, trying to focus on the problem at hand and shove everything else into the back of her mind. Chat was fending off the akuma with his baton, being careful not to hurt the girl. Ladybug soon joined her partner in trying to fend off her attacks and try to corral her somewhere where she wouldn't hurt anyone.

They weren't quite sure what she could do... they just knew that she was the Truth Seeker and that already made them want to get this over with as quickly as possible. They didn't want to risk their identities being found out, and that's why Chat's patience was a bit lost during this battle. They continued to push her back, dodging her attacks the best they could, Ladybug taking a few more hits than normal. Chat's concern for her was growing and it was making him lose his focus. He cursed as he narrowly avoided another attack from the akuma. Getting a bit fed up with this, Chat ran over to Ladybug, snatching her up and quickly running for shelter. The heroine in his arms protested and wriggled in his grasp, but he ignored her. When they finally found cover, he let his partner go and she looked up at him, letting out a huff and puffing her cheeks in anger.

"What did you do that for?" she snapped. Chat ignored her question, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking her in the eyes. This unsettled Ladybug and her anger quickly dissipated.

"What's wrong, Ladybug?" he asked, his voice soft as he spoke in a soothing and gentle tone. Despite his effort, she couldn't help the panic that rose up in her as memories from earlier in the day surfaced. Chat watched as fear and sadness filled her eyes, but was quickly replaced by anxiousness.

"N-Nothing! Everything is okay. I'm fine!" she answered, unable to look him in the eyes. He frowned at her forced grin and her awkward demeanor, but before he could comment on it, the duo was interrupted.

"Liar!" the akuma screeched. The two jumped apart then, Chat readying himself while Ladybug looked on in shock. Before they could blink, the akuma had snatched Ladybug up in her ribbons and pulled her close. The heroine struggled against her binds, but it seemed to be of no use. Once she was close, Truth Seeker reached her hands out, clasping them around Ladybug's head. "Now, let's see the truth!" Ladybug's eyes went wide and she tried her best to free herself, but the akuma kept her still and then when she blinked she was back at school.

She was standing in front of the school with Alya at her side, her friend's hand placed reassuringly on her shoulder as her own hands were clenched at her sides, avoiding the urge to grip at the hem of the dress she had just finished making last night. It was a tea-length dress that was baby blue in color with a black satin sash tied around her waist and formed a bow in the back. The dress was sleeveless with an illusion neckline, the sheer white fabric having small polka dots for that nice aesthetic aspect of the dress. She had on a pair of pantyhose, not wanting tights to possibly distract from the dress, and a pair of simple black flats. Her hair was let down and was expertly curled, thanks to Alya. As for makeup, she had on a soft pink lipstick and the wings of her eyeliner were so sharp they could kill a man. The confidence boost she had gained once she had gotten all dolled up was thrown out the window as soon as she and Alya set foot on school property, but Alya was doing her best to remedy that.

"You look great, sug'. You're gonna knock 'em dead." she said, giving her friend's shoulder a squeeze. Marinette gave a small nod and a nervous smile. She took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be, I guess." she replied with a nervous chuckle. Alya gave her a reassuring smile and a pat on the back. The two then walked into the school and went to their classroom. Marinette had never worn one of her creations to school, and she was trying to tell herself that that was the reason why she was so nervous, but she knew deep down what the real reason was. _Adrien_. He was constantly surrounded by high end fashion, and while she took pride in her pieces, she was always afraid that if she wore them around him he might silently judge her work. If he saw her as a bad designer, he could possibly hate her, _and_ make it so she never got anywhere in the fashion industry. Of course she knew that he would never do that... but her mind always asked her _'what if?'_ and it drove her _insane._ Her thoughts had always taken a situation way out of hand, but this was a whole other level.

She did her best to clear her mind of the thoughts and focused on the positives. She had put a lot of hard work into this dress and spent the better part of the week working on it and it turned out amazingly. She was proud of what she created, and she should be able to show off her work without worry. She continued the train of happy and positive thoughts as they entered the classroom and caused a few heads to turn. Her fellow classmates complimented her on the dress and began to ask her questions. Slowly, Marinette's confidence came crawling back through the window it had jumped out of. Soon, the heroine was restored to her former self and was laughing and joking along with her classmates and just generally feeling good about herself.

"Ugh, what's _that?_ " Marinette's heart dropped at the sound of the familiar snarky voice that came from behind her. She turned and looked down at Chloé, who was standing next to her desk with Sabrina close behind her. The blonde's lip was curled up in disgust as she gave the seamstress a once over, and once she was done she let out a haughty scoff. Alya bristled at Marinette's side, ready to defend her friend from whatever storm Chloé was brewing.

"What do you want?" the brunette asked, voice low and threatening. Chloé's gaze shifted over to Alya and she raised an eyebrow at her.

"I don't _want_ anything. I'm actually here to _give_." she said, a smirk crossing her features. She made her way up the steps until she came face to face with Marinette, whose face was blank as she braced for the impact of Chloé's insults. What she _didn't_ expect, was a complete breakdown of her dress. She tore into her, even going as far as to point out the few flaws she had made in the stitching and what _she_ would've done to make it look better. Her critique went on for what felt like hours to Marinette, but she barely heard any of it. She was trying to keep herself calm and not fly off the handle like she's been tempted to so many times before. However, all the progress she had made was soon ruined with one simple sentence.

"If you made this and wore it to try and get Adrien's attention then you can just forget it." Now snapped out of her own thoughts, she gave Chloé her full attention, and the blonde seemed to notice this as her smirk widened. "I mean _seriously_ Marinette, if he hasn't seen you as more of a friend by _now_ , then he _never_ will. And this dress is so poorly made with just the _worst_ materials, he's only going to think _less_ of you! It's just so frumpy and you look like a kid!" Chloé laughed then, and whatever she said next, Marinette couldn't hear over the screaming session going on in her mind. She could feel Alya tense beside her and she could only assume that the brunette was coming to her defense, but she wasn't sure. Her mind kept replaying the words Chloé had said over and over again in her mind as she tried to process their meaning. She could feel herself breaking down, but she couldn't cry. She refused to. Not this time.

 _God she's just... she's such a..._

The sound of the slap reverberated through the room and silenced everyone and everything at the same time, except for the word that slipped past Marinette's lips. " _Bitch!_ " she snarled out. A fire was lit inside her and she was _filled_ with all the rage she had been holding back for _years._ "I don't care what you think about this dress, this wasn't for you. It wasn't for _anyone_ except for _myself!_ I spent the better part of the month designing and crafting this dress! I put my heart and _soul_ into it just like I do with _every_ piece I make. And at least _I_ can actually sew and I don't have to rely on hired help to make my projects!" After that, everything became a blur as she tore Chloé a new one, dragging out all of her known insecurities and tearing her down where she stood. All Marinette saw was red and her ears were ringing. As she relieved all her stress onto Chloé, she could feel a weight being lifted off her shoulders and she felt liberated.

Until she felt a hand on her shoulder and her name yelled at her by a familiar voice.

She came out of the murky waters of rage and turned her head and saw green. Adrien stood in front of her, eyebrows furrowed together and a concerned look in his eyes. Her eyes widened and she turned to look back at Chloé. The blonde was crying, and it wasn't her usual fake tears. The weight that had been lifted came crashing right back down, except it was even heavier now as she looked around and saw that everyone had moved away from her slightly and looked on in concern, even Alya. No one was looking her in the eyes and she could feel the tears welling up and they quickly blurred her vision.

She couldn't cry.

She _wouldn't._

 ** _She didn't deserve to.._**

Marinette tore away from Adrien's light grasp and fled the room. She ran until the school was behind her and she was back at the bakery. She ignored her mother's questions and brushed past her, going up the stairs to the house and then entering her room. Once there, she allowed the tears to fall, not able to hold them back anymore. She collapsed to the floor, curling up in a ball as the sobs wracked her body and clawed her throat as they escaped her lips. She could feel a small hand caressing her cheek and could faintly hear a soft voice cooing to her, but she couldn't make out what it was saying. All she could hear were her thoughts, screaming and tearing into her, drowning her. As her crying continued, her breaths came quicker and shorter and her chest felt tight. She could barely breathe and the buildup of mucus in her nose made it difficult to swallow as she tried to soothe her dry throat before coughing and continuing to cry. Her fit went on for what felt like hours before she finally began to calm down. She opened her eyes, blinking away the last of the tears and clearing her vision to see a concerned Tikki, holding out a few tissues for her.

She gave the kwami a weak smile and took the tissues, rasping out a thank you, and blew her nose. She let out a disgusted groan when she pulled the tissue away from her nose, grossed out by how much snot there was. She used up the tissues given to her and then tossed them into a nearby trashcan. She then slowly picked herself up off the floor and dragged her feet over to her lounge chair, collapsing into it and curling up into a ball. Tikki followed, a small frown on her face. "Marinette.. what happened?" she asked, voice soft and soothing. Marinette just shrugged, nuzzling into one of the pillows.

"I don't know... I just... I was just _over_ it. She's been terrible to me for _so long_ and that was just the last straw... I put so much work into this dress! Sure there's a few mistakes here and there, but I was going to go back over them later. Just... she couldn't let me have this? What did I ever do to her to deserve this?" Tears began to spring in her eyes again and Tikki was quick to wipe them away, not wanting her chosen to have another attack.

"I don't know Marinette... but your dress is beautiful, and so are all of your other creations! You're a talented seamstress and you should just try to ignore what Chloé says to you. I know it's difficult.. but if you weren't talented then she wouldn't copy your designs, now would she?" the kwami replied with a wink, hoping that might cheer her up. It seemed to work, as Marinette gave her a soft smile and a bit of a chuckle.

"Yeah.. I think you're right Tikki..." she mumbled. Tikki smile and papped Marinette's cheek lovingly.

"Let's go get something to drink.. I'm sure you're thirsty." Marinette just gave a nod and slowly got up from her chair, rolling her shoulders and feeling some joints pop as she did so, including a few more when she stood up. She went over to the trap door in her room and went down into the house, walking over to the kitchen and getting a glass of water and a few cookies for Tikki. She was about to make her way up to her room when she heard the door open and turned to see Sabine. Her mother quickly approached her and Marinette had just enough time to set her glass and cookies down before her mother enveloped her in a hug.

"Whenever you feel up to it, talk to me. You know I'm always here for you, dear." she whispered. Marinette smiled, tears welling in her eyes as she hugged her mother back tightly.

"I know Mama.. thank you." They hugged for a few more moments before Sabine pulled away, smiling softly at her daughter and pressing a kiss to her cheek before patting her head lovingly and leaving to get back to work. Marinette felt a warmth in her chest and then turned to pick up her water and cookies and made her way back up to her room. She went over to her desk then and set everything down before sitting down in her chair. Tikki joined her and sat down on the desk, taking a cookie and nibbling at it. Marinette did the same, taking a few sips of water now and then to help soothe her dry throat. Eventually, the cookies were gone and Tikki had gone up to the bed to take a nap, not before checking to make sure Marinette would be okay without her. The heroine had reassured the kwami she'd be fine and that was when Tikki went to bed. Now, Marinette was laying on her lounge chair, hugging a pillow to her chest and staring at the wall. She had thought she would be fine, since she had felt better just moments before.. but now that she was left alone, her thoughts came back with a vengeance.

She could feel tears welling in her eyes as her mind began to berate her for her actions earlier. It was wrong of her to act the way she did and say all those terrible things... She had just been so fed up with all of Chloé's shit... but that was no excuse. It was still a shitty thing to do, and even Chloé didn't deserve to be treated that way. She buried her face in the pillow then, hoping to hide the sound of her sniffles and weak whines from the sleeping kwami. She didn't want to bother her any more than she already had. She stayed like this for a few moments until she felt her phone vibrate next to her. She sniffled and reluctantly pulled away from the pillow before she sat up and reached for her phone. The bright screen burned her tired eyes at first, but once they adjusted she read the notification she had received.

 _Ladyblog is live!_

She tapped on it and was sent to the webpage in her browser and saw that Alya was currently in the midst of watching Chat Noir fighting off an akuma. Letting out a sigh, she closed out of the webpage and set down her phone. She didn't want to do anything.. she just wanted to wallow in self pity.. but she had a job to do. Marinette got off of the chair and went up to her bed and woke Tikki up. "We gotta go, Tikki." Once the kwami was up and ready, she transformed and hopped out of her trap door and left to join Chat Noir.

* * *

"Liar!" Everything had happened so fast and Chat felt helpless as he watched his lady get captured by the akuma. He readied his staff, looking for any sign of weakness. Then, Truth Seeker reached for her hat and tapped the emblem on the front, which acted like a projector, putting a blank screen onto a nearby wall. She then reached out and clasped her hands around Ladybug's head. "Now, let's see the truth!"

Chat Noir looked over at what was put up on the wall and he felt the color drain from his face. He watched as the events from earlier that morning played out before him, but from Marinette's perspective. He managed to tear his eyes away from the projection to look over at his partner, who was limp in the Akuma's grasp. He tightened his grip on his staff as he tried to think of a plan of attack, something that wouldn't harm his friend. He only had about half a plan when Truth Seeker laughed and ended the projection. "The truth has been shown. Now.. for my payment." She then removed her hands from Ladybug's head and took her earrings.

Ladybug's transformation fell away and revealed a shaking Marinette. Satisfied, the akuma dropped the girl from her hold and Chat leaped into action. He caught Marinette before she could hit the ground and carried her off to a secluded area. He hated to leave her miraculous in the hands of an akuma, but he had no choice. He had to make sure she was okay before he went out there to get her earrings back. So, he set her down gently onto the ground and frowned at the state she was in. She was clearly holding back sobs as her body shook and her hand was clasped tightly over her mouth. Tears were streaming down her face and her nose was just beginning to run despite her sniffs that attempted to keep the mucus in.

"Marinette-"

"I-I was terrible!" she sobbed. "It was wrong of me to do that. It's been eating at me this whole time! I can't… I-I can't…" Marinette continued to blubber on, unable to describe what it was she was feeling. Chat watched her with a frown on his face. Seeing things from her perspective really set the situation straight. No one had really wanted to talk about it, and now he understood why. Both parties involved were in the wrong here.

Chat let out a bit of a sigh and wrapped his arms around Mariette's shuddering frame. He pulled her close, resting her head on his chest and running his claws through her hair. "It's okay, Marinette. You can apologize to her later. And I'm sure she will apologize to you as well." he whispered.

"She won't. Even if she did, I don't deserve it. I don't deserve _anything!_ I was awful! I was so cruel and that was wrong of me." she cried, pushing on Chat's chest in an attempt to get away from him. His grip on her only tightened. "I've lost all my friends because of this. They all hate me, I _know_ they do!"

"That's not true."

"How can you be so sure?!" Marinette finally looked at him then and the sight ripped his heart in half. Her lively blue eyes were now dull and brimming with tears and her face was red and blotchy. She managed to push herself away from him then, his grip having loosened at seeing how distraught she was. She started to walk away from him but didn't get very far. Her legs were too wobbly, and she collapsed not too far from her partner. He watched helplessly as she curled up into a ball, bending over and resting her forehead on her knees and running her hands through her hair. Heart-wrenching sobs escaped her, her body shaking from the force of them. He listened as she mumbled about how worthless she was and how she deserved what was coming to her.

He knew he had to put a stop to this… He moved over to her then, pulling her hands off of her head, frowning slightly as he realized she had been digging her nails into her scalp. Chat made sure to be gentle as he took her hands in one of his and placed the other one on her back, rubbing soothing circles. He sat there quietly and let her cry. Neither of them were sure how long they had been there, but Marinette eventually ran out of tears. It took a few moments before she slowly started to sit up, Chat removing his hand from her back and releasing her hands from his grip. She wiped away the remnants of her tears with the palms of her hands, but she wasn't really sure what to do about her nose until she saw Chat produce and handkerchief.

She gave him a small, weak smile before taking it and using it to clean her nose. "I'll wash it and give it back to you later.." she whispered, her voice raspy. Chat simply nodded and the two sat in silence for a couple moments. Eventually, Chat brought a hand up and lightly ran his claws through her hair.

"Princess?" Even though his voice was soft, Marinette was set on edge, not sure what to expect from her partner.

"Yes?"

"I don't want to see you place any more blame on yourself for this, okay?" Marinette moved to speak, but Chat was quick to put a claw to her lips. "I'm not saying you didn't do anything wrong, but you're not the only one to blame, okay?" Marinette wanted to debate with him on this, tell him just how at fault she was, but she knew that would get them nowhere. So, she kept her lips shut and pushed her worries far into the recesses of her mind and simply nodded at him. "Good. Now, I'm going to go get your Miraculous, okay? Will you be alright, or should I stay with you longer?" he asked.

"Go.. I'll be fine. I won't move."

Chat hesitated a moment, not sure if he should trust his lady or not. However, there was an akuma on the loose, and no Ladybug to fix everything. He let out a sigh and gave her a weak smile. He ran his claws through her hair one last time, letting them linger for a moment before he took off. Marinette would be lying if she said she hadn't been left breathless by the contact. She watched as her partner took off and continued to sit there several moments afterwards, starstruck. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, shifting between the mess she had gotten herself into earlier, and now this interaction with Chat Noir. God she was such a teenager…

She shook her head, trying to snap out of it. She had other things to worry about, like making sure she found a good place to hide. Papillion knew her identity now, and while it likely didn't matter right _now_ , seeing as how she didn't have her miraculous, she didn't want to take that risk. They didn't know what he wanted, and so it would be better to be overly cautious. Letting out a sigh, she pressed her hands onto the ground and pushed herself up off the floor. She took in her surroundings, looking for a place to hide. She was in a warehouse and in a loft-like area of it. Marinette looked around for a while and eventually found a small closet. She quickly walked over to it and went inside, closing the door behind her. She wasn't sure if it was such a good idea to be alone in the dark, but she didn't really have any other choice.

Now alone and in the dark, her thoughts started to creep back up on her. Marinette curled up into a ball, wrapping her arms around herself. She did her best to take in slow, deep breaths. She hated feeling so alone.. She hasn't felt like this in a long time, not since she got Tikki. Now her kwami was gone, all because of her. She could feel tears starting to well in her eyes and she let out a curse under her breath. Her nails dug into the skin of her arms, forming crescent-shaped marks. She didn't want to be alone… she _couldn't_ be alone… not now….

 _Hurry Chaton…_

* * *

Chat Noir wasn't sure how long he had been gone, but if he had to guess it'd be in the ballpark of 20-40 minutes. He had managed to capture the akuma, trapping it in a jar that he had found. Honestly, he was surprised it had worked. It wasn't long before he made it back to the warehouse that Marinette was in. As he slipped in through a window, the sound of his miraculous beeping set him a bit on edge. He bit his lip as he looked around for her and getting worried when he didn't see her right away. "Princess?" he called out.

He hopped through the window and started to look around when he heard a door open. He turned around and watched as Marinette stepped out of a closet. Her face was red, and her eyes looked puffy. She quickly wrapped her hands around her upper arms and he could've sworn he saw something red and irritated there. His grip on her earrings tightened slightly as concern flooded him. He took a moment to calm himself before he approached her. As soon as he was in front of her, he held out his hand and offered her earrings to her. "I got them for you. Might wanna hurry and transform, I've brought the akuma just for you, my lady." he said with a wink.

Marinette smiled weakly and took the earrings and put them in. Tikki flew out of them and instantly flew to her chosen's face. "Marinette! Are you okay?" she asked, her tiny hands pressed against her cheek.

"I'm alright Tikki, we'll talk later." she whispered. The kwami was skeptical, but she would hear her out later. "Tikki, transform me." Even though Chat now knew that his classmate was his partner/crush, it was still a shock to see her transform into Ladybug right before him. "Where's the akuma?" she asked. Chat snapped out of his trance at her question. He smiled as he showed her the jar the butterfly was trapped in. Ladybug giggled and brought a hand up to pinch his cheek. "Good job, Chaton."

"Anything for you, my lady." he replied with an extravagant bow. She giggled more and watched as her partner straightened himself out and opened the jar. She pulled out her yoyo as the akuma flew out. She caught it silently, purifying it in her yoyo before releasing it with a small wave. Chat's concern only grew.

"Well, I guess all I have to do now is bring out my lucky charm to fix everything…" she said. Chat gave a simple nod and watched as she summoned it. A first aid kit popped out and he watched as she stiffened.

"I wonder why it would make a first aid kit.." he said, bringing a hand to his chin. His miraculous beeped again and it made the two of them jump.

Ladybug smiled nervously, shrugging her shoulders. "Who knows? Maybe it's just something that happens at the end of a battle? I dunno. Not like it matters anyway! Miraculous Ladybug!" She tossed the kit into the air and watched as her magic spread throughout Paris. Once it was done, she moved to take off, not even turning to give her partner a goodbye. However, she was stopped when Chat grabbed her wrist.

"Ladybug… are you going to be alright?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing together.

She bit her lip, hands turning into fists. "Yes, Chaton. I'll be fine." She turned her head then to flash him a smile, keeping her eyes closed as she was too scared to look at him. "I promise." She felt bad for lying to him, to his face, but she couldn't have him worry about her.

"Marinette…." he mumbled. Her eyes snapped open at that and she snatched her hand away from him and out of his grasp.

" _Don't_."

Chat's miraculous gave out another beep and with that, Ladybug broke out into a run and quickly flung her yoyo out the open window. Once it caught on a nearby structure, she hopped out and made her way home. Chat watched her leave, a frown on his face. She may think she can get away from him, but he knows who she is now. He was going to do everything in his power to make sure she was okay. Filled with determination, he made his way out of the warehouse as well and went home so he could have Plagg rest up before he went out later.

* * *

Marinette was resting on her bed, legs crossed and holding a pillow close to her chest. Tikki was asleep already. The two had had a fairly long talk and the kwami was worried about her. However, Marinette did her best to calm the guardian down. She really didn't want anyone to worry about her.. She rubbed her upper arms slightly, lost in thought. Her fingers brushed over the scratch marks there, some of them starting to scab already. Her frown deepened. She hadn't realized she had been clawing at her arms while she was panicking in the closet while waiting for Chat. She was ashamed of herself for it… She buried her face in her pillow, fighting back more tears. She was so sick of crying. When would it stop?

A knock came from the trapdoor above her and it made her jump. She sat there for a few moments, looking up at it and paled. Bright green eyes were looking down at her. She then grew flustered as she fumbled around for a few moments, trying to find either a blanket or a jacket. She found a thin hoodie she had laying on her bed and slipped that on. She then motioned for Chat to open up the door for her, which he seemed to happily oblige. She started to climb through, but she felt his gloved hand push hers down. She was confused until she saw him start to crawl through. Marinette stepped away from the hatch then and gave Chat enough room to climb through.

He slipped through the opening with ease, plopping down onto her bed and smiling at her. "Hello, purrincess."

"What are you doing here?" she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest. Chat's expression wavered for a moment, but he was quick to fix himself and put on a smile for her. He sat down on the bed and Marinette looked at him skeptically before sitting down as well.

"Is it a crime for me to check in on my partner?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Marinette grumbled to herself for a moment, picking her pillow up and hugging it to her chest again. "I told you I would be fine. You don't need to be here Chat."

He frowned a bit at that. He let out a sigh and moved closer to her. She froze, eyes wide and clutching the pillow closer to her chest. Chat hated how scared she looked. He made sure to move slow, giving her enough time and space to push him away if she so desired. Soon, his arm was wrapped around her shoulders and she didn't seem to mind too terribly. She was still stiff, but as Chat slid his hand down to rub her back, she slowly started to relax. She removed a hand from the pillow, digging the heel of her hand into her eye to wipe away the tears that were forming.

"I'm here because I _want_ to be, Marinette. I want to be here for you, and help you, but I know that it's all at your own pace. I'm not going to force you into anything. You can talk if you want to, if not… at least let me be here with you." he whispered, running a hand down her arm and squeezing her close. Marinette winced and Chat was quick to pull away, eyes wide. "Are you okay?" he asked, worry clear in his face and voice.

"Y-yeah… I'm fine." she mumbled, bringing a hand up to her arm and rubbing it lightly, resisting the urge to hiss.

"What happened? Did you get hurt?" he asked, slightly panicked.

Marinette curled up into herself more, partially hiding her face in the pillow. Chat waited patiently for her, slowly bringing his hand back to rub along her back. "I… don't wanna talk about it right now." she whispered.

"That's fine." he replied. She looked up at him then and he smiled at her. She smiled weakly back and leaned into him, resting her head against his shoulder.

"Thank you, Chat."

He smiled, wrapping his arm loosely around her waist. "Of course, anytime."

The two then just sat there, comfortably. Marinette had been wary at first about letting him come in, but she was glad she had let him in. Sitting and being cuddled was exactly what she needed right now. A smile slowly stretched across her face as she nuzzled into her partner. He smiled down at her, being mindful of her arms now that he knew she was injured. He rested his head on top of hers and let out a sigh of content. After a few moments, though, a thought came to his mind.

"Hey, Marinette?"

"Hmm?"

"So… since I know you're Ladybug, should I reveal myself to you as well?" he asked.

Marinette mulled this over for a moment. He knew who she was now, so should she know? She let out a sigh and shook her head. "I don't think that's a good idea, kitty. It's bad enough Papillion knows who I am. If I were to get captured and knew who you were well…"

"Yeah, I see where you're going with this." he mumbled, a frown on his face.

She shifted in his hold then, turning to face him. She placed a hand on his cheek and gave him a soft smile. "It's okay, Chaton." she said, brushing her thumb across his cheek. A light blush dusted his cheeks and he averted his eyes. She giggled a bit and then turned back around to lean back into him. "Just be sure you don't use my name in the heat of battle. The citizens still don't know, and I'd like to have _some_ privacy."

He laughed a bit as well. "Of course, my lady."

With that, the two continued to cuddle in silence. It was warm and Marinette felt comforted. After such a long, rough day, this felt really nice. Of course, a part of her felt like she didn't deserve it, but she knew that was just some issues she had. She had a lot of stuff she needed to work through, it seemed. She tried not to dwell on anything bad for now. She wanted to enjoy this peace while she could, she was sick of crying.

Once his miraculous started to beep, they said their goodbyes and Marinette was left to sleep in peace. Chat watched her for a couple moments before he took off, making his way home. He was still worried about Mari, but he would see how things went down tomorrow, he supposed.

* * *

Marinette stood nervously in front of the school. She tightened her grip on her back, trying to keep herself from shaking like a leaf. Tikki poked her head out of her purse and beamed up at her chosen. "It'll be alright, Marinette! Just go in there, explain what happened and apologized. If she doesn't forgive you, don't worry about it! At least you let everyone know what was going on."

She nodded and thanked her kwami. She sucked in a deep breath and slowly released it. Working up what confidence she could, she made her way into the school and eventually reached the classroom. She took a moment to build herself up again before entering the classroom. Everyone turned to look at her and she froze, face paling. She started to tremble in fear, thoughts already swirling around in her head. Mari shook her head, forcing the thoughts down. She swallowed the lump in her throat and walked over to where Chloé was sitting.

The blonde's eyes shifted to look at Marinette's approaching form, then she returned to looking at her nails as she filed them. Marinette stood by her classmate nervously, clutching at the hem of her shirt and twisting it nervously. Chloé let out a sigh, setting her file down and turning to fully look at the seamstress. "What do you want now?"

"You see… I.. I don't know what came over me yesterday. It was wrong of me to say all those horrible things to you. It was an awful thing to do, and I sincerely apologize for slapping you as well. I let my anger get the best of me, and that's no excuse. I'm very sorry, Chloé."

Chloé looked up at Marinette in slight shock. A small smile crossed her features, but she was quick to hide it. She rolled her eyes at Marinette and turned back to face the front of the class. She picked up her nail file and started working on her nails again. "Yeah, whatever." she muttered, waving her hand in her classic "go away" motion.

Marinette stood there for a couple seconds, a small frown on her face. She hadn't expected Chloé to forgive her, in fact, she didn't really _want_ to be forgiven. She knew what she did was awful but this complete dismissal? Normally she'd be angry but now… now she just felt hurt. She let out a sigh and turned to go back to her desk.

"I'm sorry too, Marinette." The seamstress whirled around, a look of shock on her face. Chloé's cheeks were stained pink as she pretended to inspect her nails. "I didn't mean anything I said about your dress. It looked very lovely on you."

Marinette beamed. "I accept your apology.. and thank you. Maybe I can make _you_ one." she offered.

Chloé looked up at her, surprised at the gesture. She quickly schooled her face and sneered, rolling her eyes. "Ugh, as if I'd wanna have a matching dress with _you._ "

Marinette simply giggled and rolled her eyes. "Alright Chloé."

The seamstress then went over to her desk and was greeted by a proud looking Alya. The future reporter pulled her best friend into a hug. "I'm proud of you Marinette." she whispered, giving her a squeeze.

Marinette did her best not to wince at the squeeze and simply smiled at her best friend. "Thanks, I'm proud of me too.." She looked down at the desk in front of her and her grin widened at the approving looks form Nino and Adrien as well. Seems like things were going to be alright.


End file.
